The distribution of electrical power within user facilities may be accomplished with wire and cable, with or without protective conduit. However, where easy access and flexibility are at a premium, such as in research or industrial settings, it is common to use busway sections which fit together and can be hung or wall mounted. These sections can be disassembled from each other and be reconfigured as desired without as much material waste and labor as would be the case with a wired or cable system.
The types of settings referred to above frequently include highly sensitive electrical equipment, such as a computer, served by the same busway as other electrical equipment, such as electrical motors, which can introduce a power surge into the electrical system serving them. It has been found that in such a situation the power surge is capable of traveling through the ground conductor to the sensitive equipment on the same system and causing disruption there.